I always say some fun facts about otters, so let's talk about something more not fun In June 2013 there was a research on the national whale museum revealing that one quarter of sea otter had the parasite Ixodes hexagonus. And it sounds ironic because you usually see these parasites in dogs, but not sea animals (it's like those bugs that get in street animals.. that shit is horrific to see). But for the people that think is not a big problem, it can cause lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, Powassan virus disease, and ehrlichiosis. So yes, sea animals CAN have the same parasite as non water related animals (I mean that mostly happens because otters have thick fur so eh)